Opposites are meaningless without each other. Where is the joy in life when there is no death ahead of us? Where is the fulfilment of success if failure is not even an option? Where is the marvel at creation if we are not aware of its frailty? Truly, opposites need each other; one is always worthless without the other.

With that in mind, he created destruction. And he saw that it was good.
— lifdoff

NUMACon & Arcana & The 2014 Dronies

Posted:

2015-01-22

User-requested, Aidiera-accepted, this is Metamorph, the first retile NUMACon. What's a retile, you ask? A retile is a map has the same objects as another map, but a brand new tileset. The only rules for a retile are that 1. you do not add, remove, or modify the given objects, and 2. all items must be visible (but do not need to be accessible). I, being a practiced retile specialist, have hand-picked twenty maps from the in-game levels. You can browse them HERE [packs.droni.es] and choose the three you like most to retile. I'm sorry if one of your favorite maps wasn't chosen; the vast majority of them would be... difficult to say the least.

Anyhoozies, this contest will run until 28 February, contestants may submit three entries tagged Metamorph [nmaps.net], and any questions can of course be directed at myself.

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In more exciting news, PALEMOON and sidke have joined forces to bring you a new kind of mapping experience. Actually, this is a more freeform version of MapDraft, which older members might remember. But this is waaay sicker! MapDraft : Arcana is a project designed to inspire, intrigue, and most of all, invite mappers to expand their horizons. So cleanse your soul, clear your mind, and head on over to the thread [forum.droni.es] to see what the fates have in store for you.

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Finally, the 2014 Dronies Nominations have begun! Head on over to http://noms.droni.es/ [noms.droni.es] to submit your nominations. As previously mentioned, the categories have been changed, but you are still able to submit the same amount of maps. You'll need a Google account (Gmail, YouTube, etc.) in order to log in, but I'm only making this mandatory so that you now have the option of editing your submissions! I'll leave the form open for a couple months because I want -- and NEED -- as many submissions as possible. Okay, cool. [forum.droni.es]

Thank you all for taking the time to make this community as great as it is. It's not because of me, it's because of you.™

>> Aidiera

Less Results & More!

With over 60 maps, this was one of the most successful NUMACons in like, ever! DW40, mahi_mahi and Aidiera were the judges with Bio stepping in to be a tie-breaker. Aidiera's comments are on the forums [forum.droni.es], along with a poll to vote for the theme of the next NUMACon, which will take place in February. Here are the winners:

0th :: Less Is More, More Or Less by ChrisE [nmaps.net]
1st :: Canalamo by Yahoozy [nmaps.net]
2nd :: Mea Culpa by krusch [nmaps.net]
3rd :: Gravily-Less Zone by the23 [nmaps.net]
4th :: Less at last by IodineEnvy [nmaps.net]

::..::..::.::

One last note: The 2014 Dronies will be a bit different then all the previous years. I've switched up the categories because there were simply not enough maps made this year. You'll see in a few weeks when nominations begin, but for now my suggestion is to keep a list of all your favorites and divvy them up later. You will also need a Google account to fill out the form, just as a heads up.

>> Aidiera

YetiRevolution will be speedrunning N today!

He's scheduled at 2pm MST. This timer [timeanddate.com] is counting down until he's scheduled. Get hyped!

In other news, voting for The 2013 Dronies has begun. http://vote.droni.es/ [vote.droni.es] Voting will be open for a couple weeks, and then it will be time for the 2014 Dronies to get rolling. Any questions can be directed at myself.

>> Aidiera

Curious Results + NUMACon :: Less

Posted:

2014-11-10

Many thanks to both TommyWisau and Losttortuga for helping me judge the entries. Our critiques are on the forums [forum.droni.es], and here are the top five. Thank you all for participating.

TW had the wonderful idea to have a 'minimalist' NUMACon. However, minimalism is a rather hard abstract to judge, so we're letting the mappers come up with their own restrictions. It can be something as basic as "enemy-less" or "gold-less" to something more creative, like "one drone for the whole map" or a "no jump KRA". Try to give yourself limits which enhance the map and don't just make mapping harder. This contest will run until 31 December and each member can submit a whopping 5 maps! Maps should be tagged LESS [nmaps.net] in order to be judged. Any questions can be directed at myself, and best of luck to all.

>> Aidiera

(PS: The Dronies are coming, don't worry.)

NUMACon :: Curious

Posted:

2014-09-25

Hello friends. This month's NUMACon is a little different than usual. I'm challenging you to rethink how you make maps. If you have a good grasp on the mechanics & aesthetics of mapping, then try breaking a few of the unspoken rules. Try putting some drones in the tiles or stack a bunch of rockets; nearly anything goes in this contest. If you'd like some examples of post-modernism in regards to mapping, check out the back-catalogs of these guys:

Thank you all for the lovely maps, and be ready for October's NUMACon (which will not be Halloween-themed this year, sorry).

>> Aidiera

NUMACon: Oodles

Posted:

2014-08-02

This month's challenge is to make a map utilizing oneways. They're pretty buggy, so don't be afraid to exploit the hell out of them. Oneways should be the main theme of the map too, not just a small part of it. Three maps per author, and be sure to tag them Oodles [nmaps.net] so that I can find them. Judges will be me and probably me again. Maps must be submitted by 1 September.

::..::..::..::

I would also like to mention that nominations for The Dronies are still ongoing and that I only need about ten more submissions before voting can begin. If you scroll down to the Wintercon post you'll see all the necessary links and information necessary to nominate maps. So please, take the time to do your part for the community. The future of NUMA depends on you. But no pressure or anything.

>> Aidiera

Oblique Results

Posted:

2014-07-05

In a stunning turn of events, NachoCheese and I had two completely different top-five lists, so in fairness I'm going to award each of our two favorites. So without further ado...

Some comments are here. [forum.droni.es] Many thanks for participating, everyone. Stay tuned for the next NUMACon, coming February 2019. :p

>> Aidiera

Regarding the number of maps on the hot maps page per user:

Posted:

2014-05-13

The traditional rule was that each user could have two maps on the hot maps page at any given time. But these days, that doesn't really work, and it unfairly restricts users' posting rates, as maps with no ratings at all can stay on the page for four days.

So instead, the rule from here on out (a rule that always existed but was rarely talked about): 5 maps per user per day, maximum. And try not to submit all 5 at once, as we don't want some unlucky soul submitting their map half an hour before someone else pushes their map down five spots. This should allow anyone to post maps to their heart's content (within reason) and possibly increase activity here.

If you have any questions, just leave me a message on one of my maps, or find me on irc in #music or #n-mapping.

- Rose

NUMACon :: Oblique

Posted:

2014-01-28

For February's contest, you must make maps using only slanted tiles. (The border is the only part that can be flat if you wish to include it.) The little half-tile sides on 2-tiles and 3-tiles are allowed however. No 4 / 8 tiles either; those will be for another 'con. I don't know who will judge, though I'm hoping 'hooz will accept my offer. Submissions are open until 1 March, and up to three maps per author. Tag your maps oblique [nmaps.net] and have fun!